Tina Kempin Reuter, PhD, MA

University of Alabama at Birmingham

(she/her)

Tina Kempin Reuter, PhD, MA, is the inaugural Director of the Institute for Human Rights and a Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her interdisciplinary training is broadly in human rights, peace studies, and social movements, specifically focusing on the empowerment of underserved communities, policy and community development, human rights education, and capacity-building.

Reuter’s research focuses on human rights with a particular emphasis on the struggle of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, including minorities, persons with disabilities, refugees and migrants, women, children, sexual minorities, and people experiencing poverty. She studies how international human rights principles, norms, and language have an effect at the local and grassroots level and how technology can be used to improve participation of marginalized communities in society. To conduct this research, Reuter uses mixed methods approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, and community-engaged methodologies. She has ongoing research projects in the United States, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Peru.

Previously, Reuter directed the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at Christopher Newport University and held positions at the University of Pennsylvania, ETH Zurich, and the University of Zurich, where she earned her PhD in International Relations and Law.